Learning to Fly
by forspitessake
Summary: Bella's made of tougher stuff than Edward gives her credit for, than even she gives herself credit for. After being left by Edward with a few empty parting words, Bella picks herself up and dusts herself off. Fury has made her strong, and she's about to show everyone that Isabella Marie Swan is not the kind of girl to lay down and take it. Strong!Bella, OOC, eventual Jasper/Bella
1. Prologue

"Everyone has choices to make; no one has the right to take those choices away from us. Not even out of love." - Cassandra Clare, _City of Ashes_

**Prologue**

"_Goodbye, Bella. Take care of yourself."_

It wouldn't stop repeating itself, rattling around her brain with an unforgiving insistency. The last thing he had ever said to her, just a passing but final goodbye, take care of yourself. Like it was that easy, like she should be grateful for his concern for her wellbeing?

"_Come for a walk with me."_

So innocuous, so simple, and still so very _wrong_. She'd been dreading it for days, knowing something was changing between them but unable to figure out what. Or how that something would manifest.

"_Bella, we're leaving."_

But she didn't get it. Why? Because it was for her own good? Because he didn't want her anymore? Well, that didn't make sense, everything he said contradicted it. How did he know what was best for her? He was what was best for her, didn't he understand? She loved so wholly, so absolutely. She put every fiber of her being into her love for him. That was how she did things. She put her entire heart into it. That was how she loved, and he just... Pretended like that wasn't even the case, like it didn't matter.

"_That's everything, I suppose. We won't bother you again."_

Then he'd taken them from her too.

Alice.

Jasper.

Esme.

Carlisle.

Emmett.

Rosalie.

All of them, gone, because he thought that leaving was what was best for her. Because he couldn't let her make her own decisions. Being a perpetual klutz hadn't anything to do with her ability to think for herself. It was bullshit. She loved the Cullen's like they were her own family.

"_...a clean break would be better for you."_

Like it was that.

Damn.

Easy.

God, she was tired. Tired of everyone always thinking they knew what she needed, of everyone leaving her behind, of never knowing what was going on because no one would tell her anything, of everyone deciding she wasn't strong enough to handle anything more than weak little human Bella concerns. Tired of sitting around and letting them walk all over her while she cowed and played their game of _protect the precious baby Bella_. She was tired of being tired.

For the first time in a month, she looked into the mirror at herself and vowed to decide for herself this time.

And she decided enough was enough.

Bella went to her closet, throwing open the door with a force that would have impressed her had she been paying attention, and yanked out the suitcase. With a heave, she tossed it onto her bed and unzipped it almost frantically, stomping to her dresser and grabbing an armful of clothes and panties and bras and whatever else happened to be in there before stuffing it all into the suitcase. A few more trips back and forth, and it was full, so she zipped it back up and stared at it for only a minute longer.

She looked in the mirror again; she remembered what she looked like after Edward had shattered her world. Confused, lost, helpless, hollow. And now, her face was flushed with exertion and probably retained anger, her cocoa brown eyes sparkled with life, with purpose. She wouldn't be helpless or lost, not anymore. She would find herself, and she would live for herself.

Her eyes narrowed with determination. This was it, this was her turning point. This was where everything changed. And maybe it was for the worse, or maybe it was for the better, but it didn't matter, because_she_ was making this choice and no one else.

Turning, Bella calmly took a hold of the suitcase's handle, grabbed her wallet and her keys as she went through the front door of the house, and loaded up her truck. She got in the driver's seat before switching on the ignition and backing out of the driveway, driving away from home, a new sense of accomplishment flooding her gut. This was right. This was what she had to do.

"_It will be as if I never existed."_

She smirked at herself in the rear-view mirror.

Like _hell _it would.

* * *

**A/N: **Just a little taste, to see how you like it. The official chapter 1 will be longer, more informative. My main goal for this story is to explore Bella's untapped potential. Choices and self-discovery are going to be major points. Of course there will be romance, but between Jasper and Bella, simply because I think they would be a better fit. I think that's it for right now.

Uh, but yeah, let me know what you think so far!

And, shameless self-plugging here, if you like the Avengers and/or Loki, I've got another story in the Avengers section. Just go through to my profile to find it. Also on my profile is a poll, if you take a minute to vote on that please.

Drop me a review, thanks!

**-****Roe**


	2. Back and Forth

"Trust your instincts, and make judgments on what your heart tells you. The heart will not betray you." -David Gemmell, _Fall of King_

**Chapter 1: ****Back and Forth**

As soon as she was out of Forks, Bella began to realize that her 'oh so brilliant plan' wasn't really _planned_ out so thoroughly. She had no idea what to do, where to go, or how she would get there. There were so many holes she hadn't even thought of to cover in her eagerness to just leave already.

Not for the first time, Bella thought of the Cullens, an aching sadness washing over her. They'd know what she could do or where she could go, they had collected numerous connections over the decades, surely. Alice especially would understand her need to find who she was, she would know, and she would have helped. Because they were best friends, practically sisters. But they were gone, Alice included, and that left her with nothing.

She was alone.

Her foot eased up on the accelerator, just letting the car coast. She wondered if she should call Charlie to let him know that she had gone, let him know she hadn't been kidnapped or anything. Would he understand? Would he demand that she come home? Maybe she should wait until after his shift at the department. Or wait even longer until he called her. Or maybe she should turn around and just write him a little note he could read when he got home, like Edward had done for her that night.

And that brought to mind everything she had wanted to forget, how Edward had just left her there in forest after putting her into a shock that made her hollow and numb. She remembered he'd gone through her stuff without her permission (_such _breach of privacy) and took everything she had to remember them all by. He probably even tossed that letter she was going to send Renee, the one with copies of some of those pictures.

Her foot went back down on the gas pedal, and the truck made a protesting groan as it sped up.

No.

She was _not_ about to start talking herself out of this.

Her love for Edward was still there, and it wouldn't go away just like that, she knew, but she could still be angry. This was for her anyway, this trip. Not for anyone else. She was an adult. No one had the right to tell her she couldn't.

So that was that. Now was the time to concentrate on how she was going to do this, and where to head to first. She always thought she'd like to visit California during this time of year, and-

She was midway through one thought before her mind skipped to a previous one.

_Alice would know how to help her-..._

_Alice would know how-..._

_Alice would __know-..._

Alice. Would. _Know._

Of course! Alice was psychic, she probably would have seen this coming, just a hint of it at least. And she _would _help Bella in anyway she could think of. Bella couldn't believe she hadn't realized it sooner.

She yanked the steering wheel hard to the left, making a sharp u-turn right there in the middle of the deserted road, heading back from where she came, though not back home. After a few minutes and some familiar twists and turns, Bella pulled her truck up to the Cullen house, parking not in the driveway, but across from it. She knew they were gone and that it didn't really matter where she parked, but something her heart still hoped. Hoped that this was some sick joke. Hoped that they were all standing right inside there, ready to yell surprise when she opened the door.

But it had been a month. And that left little to no chance that they would still be around.

It was surreal, visiting the Cullen home without Edward by her side, she thought as she walked up the path to the front door. She paused.

Well. Now what? Would it be unlocked? Should she just open it and walk right on in? Should she ring the doorbell, at least show some sort of gesture that she wasn't intruding even if the house was completely deserted?

Like her.

She almost didn't think she had it in her to twist that knob and open the door, but her trembling hand reached out and did it anyway and she found it was unlocked, no doubt because of Alice. Even after only a month of disuse, the door seemed to stick and she had to push it, the creak of the hinges sounding eerie given the stifling quietness that surrounded the property.

Her first few steps inside the house echoed all around her, and she stopped right inside the door. The lights were out, though all the large windows on the other side of the large living room let in enough light for her not to need them anyway. Her eyes, though, immediately fell to where the beautiful grand piano should have been on the raised platform to her left, and found that it wasn't there. Bella let out a sigh of something akin to relief, not realizing she hadn't really wanted to see the instrument anyway.

Nothing in the living room was there anymore actually, she saw, now that she let her gaze roam. Not the couches, the chairs, the television, or the computer. The door to the kitchen was closed, and she almost wanted to see if everything was gone in there too until she recalled that they didn't have their meals in the kitchen, or the dining room, and it was pretty much empty the first time she had visited in the first place. There would probably be little difference, aside from the heavy collection of dust.

So instead she went to the right, towards the staircase, and ascended, her steps heavy. Her mind conjured an image of her and Edward coming up the same staircase just months ago, and she could hear the echo of his voice telling her that Jasper and Alice's room was just down the hall. And then more images sprang to mind from May, the night Alice had dolled her up for prom, and then more recently when Alice dressed her up for her birthday. The day Jasper had lost control.

Bella felt bad for Jasper, honestly. Always being thought of as the one most likely to give into bloodlust. But it was only because he had to deal with not just his own, but the bloodlust of six other vampires as well, and she could understand that. She knew better than to blame him, and there was no way she could even if she wanted to. Jasper was simply too much of a sweetheart. A little distant sometimes, she would grant him that, but polite and a seemingly good man through and through.

She knew for a fact that Edward didn't seem to have the same opinion, considering that she wasn't allowed near Jasper after the incident to tell him she was okay and that she understood and didn't blame him one bit.

It was yet another example of how Edward had been controlling her decisions in the past without her realizing it.

Before she knew it, she was already standing inside Alice's room, having moved purely out of instinct and intense familiarity of her surroundings. She knew this house almost like her own. Just like the living room, Alice and Jasper's room was void of every personal item that had been there before; even the walls were bare. There was clearly nothing there, and she sighed forlornly, making a move to leave until she caught sight of the door to Jasper's study. She'd never been in his study, she realized.

...Should she take a look? She had nothing to lose, and Jasper wasn't around to have his privacy invaded. There was almost no privacy _to _invade, every trace of them was gone. It didn't even feel like the same house.

Impulsively, she approached the office, jerkily opening it as she tried to act calmer than she felt. For some reason, her stomach was tying itself in knots, whereas it had been fine just moments before. She blamed it on the anticipation.

As expected, the office was barren as well, and Bella tried not to feel too disappointed. _Well_, she thought, walking further in to look out the window, _there went that plan_. She heaved a breath through her mouth, her forehead meeting the glass she stood in front of. Her journey to self-discovery would just involve a lot more wandering than she probably would have liked. It just couldn't be helped though.

Maybe this visit to the Cullen home would be good for her, she supposed positively. A sort of closure. It was time to accept the fact that they were gone, for good.

She drew away from the window, raising her hand to wipe away the mark her head had left on the glass with the long sleeve of her shirt, and then turned to leave, her vision grazing the empty bookshelf built into the wall. She did a double-take.

Not empty.

Propped up in the middle of the shelf just at eye level, was a small catalog envelope, the kind she usually saw used when documents needed to be mailed or kept where they wouldn't become folded or crinkled, with a metal clasp securing it closed.

She peered at it, not hesitating to grab it off the shelf and flip it over. It was unmarked, but she knew it was for her. They wouldn't have accidentality left something behind. Vampires didn't forget, after all.

It had some weight to it, so there was definitely something in there; what, Bella couldn't be sure. Unbearably curious at this point, she unfolded the clasp and lifted the lip of the envelope, opening it to look inside. Her hand reached in and pulled out the first thing her fingers landed on: a map, it seemed. She set the envelope back down to unfold it, tracing the red marker line spanning from Forks to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her brows furrowed and she set aside the map for the time being, taking out whatever else was in the envelope. The second item was a faded black and white photograph of a small, classic looking diner, with a yellow post-it note stuck to it reading "Friday" in Alice's elegant cursive, and then was underlined a few times. She turned the photograph over, finding more writing that said "Mayfair Diner, 1948" also in Alice's hand. If Bella recalled correctly, 1948 was the year Alice met Jasper. This must have been the place, and now Alice was asking Bella to meet her there on some Friday. The next Friday was five days away.

There was one last item inside the now nearly empty envelope, and she had to turn it upside down and shake it. Out fell a little plastic card, landing on the floor face up, displaying the logo of some bank. Bella shut her eyes, cringing. Oh, Alice, she didn't! But sure enough, when her eyes opened, the card was still there and her own name was still stamped on it; Isabella M Swan. What was that girl thinking! Alice knew very good and well that Bella couldn't use that bank card in good conscience.

Bella had to be reasonable, though. She, of course, had money of her own in her own bank account, saved up from since she was a little girl. But honestly, she was unemployed. She had a truck to keep maintenance up on, motels to rent during this sabbatical, food to buy, personal items to stock like shampoo and soap and feminine hygiene products, not to mention the off chance that she would need new clothes in case hers got ruined...

Bella sighed. God, this entire idea was _stupidstupidstupid_, there was no way she was prepared for this! She wasn't impulsive or daring or free-spirited enough to just drop everything and run off into the sunset, this wasn't-!

And then a peculiar sort of calmness settled over her, and she thought, _Fuck it. I can be all those things, given time. I'm doing this._

She'd use the card for last resorts, when she finally blew through all of her own money, that's what she'd do. She took the map, the picture, and the card, and left the house, dialing her dad's work number as she slipped into her truck.

"_Chief Swan speaking_," he answered on the third ring.

Bella cleared her throat, switching the phone to her left hand so she could steer easier. "Hey dad, it's me."

"_Bella? What's wrong, do you need me to come home? If you give me about-_"

"No, no, dad! I'm fine!" she interrupted, and little laugh escaping. "Seriously, I'm fine, you don't need to come home. In fact, um, I'm not even there right now. I still won't when you get off work."

He paused, probably trying to figure out why. "_You going out with friends_?"

"Uh," she began, stalling, and all sorts of awkward, mind working to find an acceptable way to break the news. "Not exactly, no."

"_Grocery shopping then? I went last week, I thought I got everything_."

"No, I'm not grocery shopping, dad."

"_...Well, then what? You gotta toss me a bone here._"

"I'm about to get on the interstate," she rushed out, cringing because _shit _that was a dumbass way to tell him.

"_...Why the **hell** would you be on the interstate_?" he asked carefully, deceptively calm.

Bella took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before letting it all out. Then she spoke. "I'm leaving Forks for a while. I don't know how long, but it's happening. There are... Some things I need to figure out, starting with myself. I relied on Edward for a long time, you know? I thought he was it, and he's not."

"_Bella, if you're taking off to find him_-"

"I'm not. I'm not looking for anyone but me," _Technically,_ "It's time I rely on myself, but I don't know who I am. I've always been told _what_ I am; clumsy, insecure, smart, sarcastic. But_ I_ don't _know._ What and who a person is are two different things, and it's time to learn what that is for me."

"_You haven't even graduated yet, Bells,_" he pointed out, tone softening.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I've disappointed you, or hurt you, but... God, this probably doesn't even make any sense to you, and I know you're confused and worried-"

"_Bella, I get it._"

She blinked, pausing in surprise. "You... Do?"

"_Y__eah, I think I do_," he heaved a sigh that was half a groan, and Bella could just see him dragging his hand down his face. "_Alright. Alright, go 'find yourself' or whatever hippy nonsense it is_."

She snorted a laugh, "Dad, I'm not a hippy."

"_No_," he said, and she could hear his smile. "_No, but you are your mother. And I don't know which I would prefer._"

"You're taking this well?"

"_Maybe. You get to tell Renee though._"

Bella grinned and nodded even though he couldn't see it. "I can handle that. Thanks, dad. And... I love you."

She really could handle it, she decided. Because she _was_ her mother, like her dad said, but she was also part of her father.

And they were the best kind of people she knew.

* * *

**A/N:** Blaaah, okay not the greatest chapter, but I kind of just wanted to get on with it, so that next chapter Bella can meet up with Alice.

There you have it then. Also, I'm so sorry for taking such a long time to get this up _especially _after such a great response! Seriously, thanks so much everyone, this got more attention than I expected! Totally not complaining. Anyway, I got caught in some sort of funk and words weren't coming to me, and every time I wanted to write something I just ended up getting so frustrated. I found a bit of rhythm though, so I cranked out this chapter, and also started a new story. It's a Naruto fic, you can check that out through my profile if you want. It's already got 2 chapters, and chapter 3 is finished. I'll work on the next chapter for this one and upload them both at once.

Thanks again, and don't forget to leave a review! Answer something for me though while you're at it, **if you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?**

**-Roe**


	3. The Mayfair Diner

"If you aren't sure who you are, you might as well work on who you want to be." -Robert Brault

**Chapter 2: The Mayfair Diner**

Within four and a half days, Bella found herself driving into Philly, exhausted down to her bones as she had only stopped to refuel both herself and her truck. It had been worth it; she was a full day ahead of schedule, though she knew the truck was pushing its final miles before it would crap out on her. Forever. She loved her truck dearly, and it had served her faithfully when she needed it most, but there was only so much she could do to keep patching it back up. She'd just put about 3,000 more miles on it in the span of four days. Ol' Red (a not very creative nickname she'd taken to calling it) had reliably taken her clear across Washington, the top of Idaho, through Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin, a small fraction of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, and finally to the opposite edge of Pennsylvania where she neared the border of New Jersey.

The more she thought about it, the more she feared Red would give out on her at any second. Maybe she could stick around in Philly for a little while, long enough to get a job and scrape up some money for a newer used car. Or a mechanic.

For now, though, Bella was lost. Though, to be fair, she probably couldn't even find her way out of a paper bag with her terrible sense of direction. She'd passed a "Welcome to Philadelphia!" sign a few minutes back, and while actually making it into Philly was all well and great, she still needed to find the exact location of the diner. She still had a day (technically half a day) until it was Friday, but she at least wanted to find a motel nearby. The last time she rested was back in Elyria, Ohio, and that was over six hours ago. She desperately needed to stretch her legs. And eat.

And wow, God, she really needed to pee.

The water bottle she'd been drinking from was quickly capped and tossed to the side with that thought, and she reached for the map. It was practically useless, however, since the map was too large to show the smaller details of Pennsylvania. With a sigh, Bella threw it down on the floor of the passenger's side, not even bothering to fold it back up, and took the next exit off the highway.

In about ten minutes, Bella found herself driving through a decrepit avenue of shops that all looked uninviting, until her eyes caught sight of one little shop in particular. It was cute, she supposed, with the ceiling to floor paneled front windows bordered in white arches. The door was windowed as well, painted an earthy green worn with time, and a wooden sign displaying the carved letters "**OPEN**" hung behind the glass. Something about it called to Bella, and before she knew it, she was pulling over to park on the side of the busy street.

The shop was called _Madame Marie's_, she discovered once approaching it close enough to read the plaque swaying in the breeze above the entrance, a smaller sign attached to the bottom of it, reading "**Fortunes Told**". Bella was intrigued, only briefly wondering why she felt such a draw to the place before opening the door and walking in, a high tinkling of bells attached to the handle signaling her entrance.

"Hello?" she called out, after seeing no one behind the counter to her right.

No one replied.

She shrugged to herself, glancing about in curiosity. She'd seen a shop similar to this one back in Port Angeles, back in the beginning, before she even knew what the Cullens were, but she hadn't entered it. She'd taken one look at the crystals and dream catchers and immediately decided it wasn't something she wanted to look into. This place, however, this _Madame Marie's_ felt... Different. Something about it was intimidating, yet warm and safe. Bella's mind supplied her with the word _protective_, and though it was an odd word to describe a store, it felt right all the same.

It was two stories, surprisingly enough, since the shop definitely hadn't seemed this large on the outside. The aforementioned counter to her right doubled as a glass display with two shelves inside. Varying sorts of talismans and charms were placed securely in a wooden box on the top shelf along with a small twine doll that had black beads for eyes, while the bottom shelf held a shining silver dagger nestled in a swatch of red velvet, among purple and white candles, and what looked like a human skull. Just beyond the counter was a wooden door, shut and unmarked, and Bella could only guess that it might lead to the room where the fortunes were told, or tarot card readings were held. Or séances, for all she knew.

Even further back was the staircase, which opened up to a large balcony that overlooked the bottom floor. She couldn't see much of the top floor, but she assumed she shouldn't wander up there if the thick tasseled rope drawn across the bottom step was anything to go by.

Overhead hung a large, golden antique chandelier that illuminated the dark wood of the bookcases on the left side of the store, and a complementary seating area was set up in the far corner in the back, complete with a dark green love-seat that looked like it had been plucked straight out of the 1800's, giving it a luxurious, comfortable Victorian feel. The floor was littered with plush rugs that ordinarily Bella thought would have clashed, but somehow seemed to flatter each other in bohemian sort of way, while the remaining decor was dark, in an eerie, gothic sense. But the skeletons and strange symbols painted on the wall and phials of mysterious liquid mixtures and odd masks of overdramatized expressions were anything but threatening. There were even vases of fresh, bright flowers scattered among table and counter surfaces, and the scent of vanilla permeating the air, emanating from burning incense sticks placed around the shop, made her feel very much the opposite of threatened.

All of it should have been contradictory, but somehow everything harmonized when put together in this place that felt inviting and magical, and Bella decided she liked it. It was almost like she'd entered another world, another time, where everything outside was paused just for a little while.

"I wasn't expecting you for another few hours, _zir__andèl__._"

Bella jerked in surprise at the sudden voice, and she realized that during her earlier musings her feet had taken her towards the books near the back. She turned, facing the one who had spoken and was greeted genially by a woman who was much older than herself, yet still managed to give an air of youthfulness, standing by the front counter. When the woman's words caught up with Bella finally, she had to frown at the odd phrasing. And when had she even entered the room?

As if sensing her disquiet, the woman smiled gently and approached her slowly. "I am sorry, dearest, I seem to have startled you. Is there anything I can help you find?"

Bella inhaled, wondering if maybe she had misheard the woman the first time and blinked away whatever tired haze that must be affecting her. "Um, no, thank you. I'm actually not really looking for anything," she answered.

The woman cocked her head, making her large gold hoop earrings swing. "Strange. The shop does not usually call anyone in unless they are looking for something." She paused, then nodded in understanding, coarse black curls bobbing in the process. "Unless they don't know that there is something to find."

Well, hell, what was she supposed to say to that cryptic nonsense?

"Forgive me, again. I am Marie," she continued, saving Bella from replying, and held her slender hand out for her to shake. "I'm the shop owner, you see."

Bella let a small upturn of her lips show in what she hoped came across as friendly, as she took Marie's hand. "Bella. Your shop is very lovely."

"Thank you," Marie said graciously, smile widening into a proud grin. "I had hoped to create an inviting, safe place, where people of all walks of life would feel welcome. I trust I've been successful?"

"Very," Bella nodded, feeling more at ease, while her own smile lost its tension. "I was just thinking how cozy it felt in here. I like it very much."

"Well, good. I'm glad to hear it."

Awkwardly, Bella cleared her throat and stuffed her hands into her back pockets, unsure how to continue this line of small talk, since she'd never been very good at it in the first place. Marie's chin lifted, so she was looking down at the younger girl knowingly, before turning and heading towards the display counter.

"You've just gotten into town, and you look exhausted, quite frankly," she was saying as she bent at the waist and slid open the backing of the display, "So I won't keep you. I know you said you weren't looking for anything, but the spirits say that there is something you need."

Marie took the wooden box of charms from the shelf and straightened, setting it down on the counter, humming to herself and she searched for one in specific. With a soft cry of "Aha!", she lifted a burgundy beaded necklace from the mess, and waved Bella closer with it. "This," she said, while Bella hesitantly made her way towards her, "is called an _eleke_."

"An _eleke_?" Bella asked with curiosity.

The old woman nodded. "In the Voodoo culture, these bead colors- you see them? The brown, coral, and white ones? They're attributed to the orishaof change, Oyá. She's a warrior, and fiercely protective of those in her charge," she said, running the beads through her fingers. Then, to Bella's great surprise, she held it out to her. "Take it, she will help you on your journey."

Instantly, Bella backed away. "Oh no, I couldn't-"

"You will," the woman said sternly, tone much different than before. There was no hint of smile on her face now.

"Um," Bella began unsurely, pulling out her wallet, "How much then?"

"The price isn't a monetary one, my dear."

Ten months ago, Bella would have taken the beads just to get the old lady to shut up so she could high tail it out of the shop as fast as possible, never thinking of the consequences of accepting something as cryptic and peculiar as this was. She wouldn't have put stock in any of what Marie was telling her. Now, though, Bella thought _maybe there is something to this. If Vampires exist, it stands to reason that maybe other things do too._

The real question was, with the knowledge of '_maybe there's something more__'_ but not being sure about the true price of this eleke, would she still take it?

The burgundy beads swung from the woman's grasp, shining mesmerizingly in the chandelier's soft light and Bella felt herself raise her arm, and take hold of them. There was a moment of stillness where Marie and Bella both held onto the eleke, and then Marie let go.

"We'll see you soon, Isabella."

Bella looked up from the eleke to find that the old woman had vanished without a trace, the only evidence of her ever having stood there being the drawer of talismans still on the glass cabinet.

Bella had left the shop immediately afterwards, thoroughly unsettled, and yet she still looped the eleke over head and tucked it under her shirt where it settled against her breastbone. She ended up having to find another place where she could ask about where to buy maps and where the nearest motel was. She got lucky, the cashier at the McDonald's around the corner directed her to a reasonably priced local bed and breakfast, _and _knew where the Mayfair Diner was. Apparently the place was actually pretty popular.

So, she settled into the B&amp;B with minimal fuss, and the next morning she drove straight to the diner after her morning ritual. She made it there at nine AM on the dot, having been unable to sleep soundly the night before thus waking early that morning. The anticipation was too great, and she felt more tired now than she had on Thursday.

The diner was open, and Bella entered quickly. The morning was crisp and Bella wanted to get out of the chill, the idea of a warm space and warm food spurring her on. With that thought, she realized she hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon, and now the rolling in her stomach was due to hunger rather than just nerves.

"Bella!"

Jerking her head up from attempting to unzip her jacket, she caught sight of familiar pixie black hair, and an easy smile lit up her face, outdone only by Alice's, whose perfect teeth shone brighter than white.

"Alice!" she greeted back in an exhale of breath, as if she were enormously relieved. Golden eyes sparkled with mirth and fondness as they regarded Bella, who was finding great comfort in the presence of her dearest friend. Alice was there in front of her in a second, taking her hand and leading her to a booth.

"Oh, Bella, I can't tell you how good it is to see you. I know it's only been a month, but I thought you would call before coming out here."

Her human sister furrowed her brow in confusion. "How was I supposed to call, Alice? You all just up and left, there wasn't any way to contact you."

Alice grit her teeth as her eyes flashed dangerously. "I thought he might do this. I had hoped he wouldn't, but Edward was never very good with anyone interfering with his claim over you."

"What?" Bella asked, her own temper flaring, "What the hell _else_ did he do?"

The vampire shook her head. "Why don't you order something to eat first, and I'll tell you everything that happened since you left after the party. Everything I'm sure he didn't explain to you."

Just then, a young girl with a flare of bright energy bounded up to the side of their table, her long, pin-straight black ponytail swaying even as she stilled. "Heya, girls! Can I get you something to drink?"

Bella ordered a cup of hot tea, while Alice requested only a water- for appearances sake Bella knew. They also ordered a large plate of pancakes, which they jokingly shared a casual comment about having to split it between the two of them, it simply just looked too big, and the waitress flounced off again with a departing sweet smile. Bella passingly envied her energy.

She faced Alice again, having watched the waitress go and waiting until she was well out of sight and hearing range. Alice launched right into it.

"I had a vision that night, of Edward wanting to leave you. I warned the other family members, and we all, save Edward, decided that yes, we would leave, but only on a trial basis. We weren't sure if leaving you completely was the best idea, so we wrote letters for you, along with contact information. That way we could keep in touch, and if anything happened, if you came into any danger, we would know. We'd come back.

"Edward didn't like the idea. He thought you were better off without us, and he hated having everyone question and contradict him. We'd never really done so before. In any case, we gave him the letters so he would pass them along to you. I saw him warring between two options; giving you the letters and explaining our intentions, or going with his original plan and leaving you forever to live a full human life. I never saw the outcome, and he never told us exactly what happened so I never knew for sure, but I suspected."

"That's why you left the other folder, in Jasper's office. But how did you know I would find it?"

"I didn't _know_, not until you made the decision to walk into the room. My visions of what you would do were numerous; you had so many paths laid before you, this was only one of many. I just hoped you'd choose this one."

Bella tapped her lip thoughtfully. "You had other visions of me? How many?"

Alice huffed a laugh. "There were _a lot_. It was unusual, I'd never seen so many paths of fate for one person before. There were some where you were perfectly fine, and we never saw you again. You died in one. In another, you were just so _sad_. You stopped functioning for months, it worried me. I almost called, almost went back, but Edward said not to contact you until you had contacted us first. Carlisle agreed, he thought you had a choice, and he didn't want us pushing ourselves on you in case you had decided you really wanted us out of your life."

"_Never_," Bella interrupted vehemently, looking so angry Alice thought she might bend the metal spoon she was clutching. "I would _never _want you gone from my life, Alice, none of you. You guys are part of my family, and nothing would change that."

"Oh, Bella," Alice cooed, and she thought the vampirette might cry if she were able. "You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that."

The girls smiled at each other, before Bella asked another question that sobered them up. "Why did he want to leave anyway?"

"Well, what did he tell you the reason was?"

"He said it was because he was tired of pretending. Of being human, of loving me, whatever, I don't know. He said it was because Carlisle was starting to look too young to be his age; you all were, so it was time to move on. Apparently, it wouldn't have been very hard, since your kind are, and I quote, 'easily distracted.'"

Alice hands were in fists now, and she was hissing. "Emmett's going to kill him, and I have half a mind to _let_ him."

"I mean, hey," Bella said bitterly, "he apologized, at least, so there's that."

"Edward and I," Alice began explaining with a huff, "were close, but I've never been so angry and disappointed in him. This is not how mates treat each other! He told us he thought it was for your own good, that he was a 'poison' in your life, and we were putting you in unnecessary danger just by being involved with you."

Blinking, Bella snorted derisively. "That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"That's what I said!"

She grinned at Alice, cupping her chin in her hand and leaning her elbow on the table. "Men are just so unbelievable."

"Oh, vampire men are _at least _a hundred times worse. Everything's amplified, remember?" Alice shot back with a wink, making her chuckle.

Looking back, Bella couldn't really remember having these sorts of talks with Alice, none that were this comfortable and teasing on equal levels. It kind of made her realize that she'd never been really receptive anyone, she'd always just... _Been there._ Existing without much of a purpose except take care of Charlie, get through school, maybe go on to college. But then what? What else was there? Wasn't there anything meant for her?

Her food came, interrupting her mental tangent, and Bella was so hungry by then that she almost tore into the pile of fluffy pancakes before it even hit the table surface. Luckily, the young waitress seemed to understand and simply laughed it off, telling her to enjoy and asking if she needed anything else and then the girl was off again. Bella didn't think she'd ever seen someone so genuine in the service industry, and made a mental note to get her name and leave her a larger tip.

"I think..." Bella said after a long beat of quiet, chewing thoughtfully on a forkful of syrupy pancake, "I think I'm beginning to realize that maybe Edward and I weren't meant to be like we all thought."

Alice sighed and nodded. "It's possible, there are just so many possible futures for everyone that it makes sense that even mates can change, depending on each person's decisions. We were all just so _sure, _so we pushed you two together even more. I'm sorry, Bella."

"Don't be. I'm not. And I don't regret it either. Maybe Edward was a necessity for me, in order to end up here in this place. We were right for each other in the period of time we were in, but maybe now it's time for us to grow separately. The thing about Edward, I think for me, was finally having someone who might be able to take care of me."

"Your mother," Alice guessed with understanding, stealing a bite of Bella's breakfast apprehensively after a glance around.

"My mother," she confirmed. "I'd grown up essentially raising both her and myself. I don't blame her at all, that's just who she is. But then I moved to Forks, and Edward was the first one who... Well, not the first who showed interest in me, but he was the first one who was actually interesting in return, and for a while, seemed like only one who was actually capable of supporting me and being on the same level as me. It was a nice idea."

"But that was the problem, wasn't it? You liked the _idea_ you had of him."

"I did. And I think both of us were guilty of that. He had the notion that eventually he could convince me to stay human, get married, have babies, grow old, and that I would be okay with that. But that's just not me, I don't want marriage, I don't want children. That's not who I am."

"You're really going to be okay, aren't you?" asked Alice slowly, with growing surety.

"I think I am. I'm still pissed as hell, but it's better than being complacent about it, right?"

"I can agree with that. Would you take him back, though? If he came back, and apologized properly?"

"No." Bella said without hesitation. "He's lied too many times, kept too many things from me, manipulated my choices out of my hands for too long. I won't let him have another shot at it."

"You know what, Bella?" Alice set her fork down, and looked at her seriously. "I am so very proud of you, and I hope you're proud of yourself too," Bella smiled, and then Alice, strangely enough, deflated a little. "Though, Edward isn't the only one who kept things from you. I did it too, and I think you should know that. I thought I was doing it with your best interests at heart, but that's not much of an excuse about it."

"Alice, it's okay, I understand."

"No, Bella. It's not okay. That's our rule; our family won't lie to each other, we don't hide things. And that's what I've done. Everything we've been through, there's been something I've kept away from you. I wasn't a very good friend or sister to you, Bella, and I'm sorry."

"Alice, listen to me. I don't blame you. I get it, really I do." Bella insisted, but Alice kept her gaze from hers, a pout etched on her face. Bella sighed heavily. "Fine. You did a bad thing Alice, I'm very disappointed in you. But I forgive you. So you've been a terrible sister, start being a better one."

Alice looked at her in surprise, but was infinitely pleased. "You know, I really like this new Bella."

Bella grinned. "Me too. Let's hope she sticks around. Now, start making it up to me and help me finish this never ending pile of pancakes."

Alice groaned, and almost wanted to take back her original sentiment.

* * *

A/N: *shows up a year late with starbucks*

Holy _shit_, my procrastination has gotten wildly out of control apparently. I swear, I had no idea that it had been this long since an update and I am so sorry. I never forgot about it, it was just a major case of writer's block and every day, I was like, "ugh no I'll work on it tomorrow." I knew what I wanted to do, but I could not find the words for it. That happens a lot, and usually with one story. Like sometimes I'll have a fanfiction that I'll struggle every chapter with, while others come to me without any problem. I suppose it's a blessing in disguise, because the ones I struggle with seem to be some of my best work, since I put so much effort into it. I don't know, I could be wrong.

Before I forget, big thanks to my awesome best friend EmmyWayward for editing this chapter for me. So I guess it was betad?

_Zirondèl_, in case you were wondering, means dragonfly in Louisiana Creole. It has a second definition, something to do with little swallow like bird that flies down chimneys and make noise all night, but I'm using the first definition of dragonfly. Bella will eventually figure out what the term means, and who Marie is, but not till later. So yes, we will definitely see more of Marie! I have two other original characters lined up for Bella to meet, as well as another character we already know. You will definitely be surprised as to who it is.

Some of you have been asking if she'll meet Peter and Charlotte. Maybe, I haven't really decided yet, but it's probable. They'll be mentioned a lot of course, at the very least. Someone also asked if this is really going to be a Bella/Jasper romance, and yes it is definitely going to be Bella/Jasper _in time_. Bella has much to get through before they see each other again.

All your answers to the previous question were awesome! I think for me, I'd want to definitely visit Ireland. I've been once, and I fell in love so I'm just itching to go back. Also, Transylvania. I mean, hello, birthplace of Dracula! No way I'd pass that up.

So this time I think the question will be... Oh! I know,** if I added a guest star, who would you most want to see make an appearance?** He/she might not stick around the entirety of the story, depending on who it is, but they'll show up in a chapter.

Now, keep in mind that Bella and Alice are not done talking; I kind of had to split the chapter up because I felt it was getting too long. So some of your questions might be addressed in chapter 3. Thanks for sticking around after so long you guys!

-Roe


End file.
